Sep 12, 2022 | Benefits & Use, History
A History of the Shortline Railroad from Montreal to Portland, Maine In the early 1800s, shipping remained the dominant way of transporting goods in the United States, yet the harsh environment of the northeast posed serious challenges to commerce. Temperatures there...
Sep 1, 2022 | Benefits & Use, History
Creosote-treated wood has played a major role in infrastructure thanks to “empty-cell processes.” What are these? During the 19th century, wood could be preserved with creosote using a “full-cell” process, developed in 1838 by John Bethell. But this...
Jul 7, 2022 | Benefits & Use, History, News
More than a century ago the wooden railroad ties of the Delaware Bay and Cape May Railroad traversed the sandy beaches of the New Jersey coast. They had just one job: to transport sand to the Cape May Sand Company for manufacturing glass and construction purposes. Its...
Jun 13, 2022 | History, Regulation
Following a century of experimentation in treating and preserving wood for industrial and transportation purposes in the U.S., at the turn of the 20th century Max Rüping and Cuthbert Lowry developed wood pressure-treatment methods that revolutionized the industry. The...
Mar 6, 2022 | Benefits & Use, History
How did the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and Britain’s Industrial Revolution bring about the need for creosote-treated wood for modern infrastructure? Industrial-era wood treatment began with numerous innovations in Great Britain and took on its modern form...
Nov 8, 2021 | Benefits & Use, History
How did the City of Las Vegas get its start? Certainly with the help of railroad crossties that could withstand the extreme conditions of the Mojave Desert due to treatment with creosote. It’s a fascinating story that began at least 125...
